January Edition
Also in this issue... The Streamlined Future - Corethree
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Enhancing the Vision - Vizrt
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Panamax Inc.:
Creating Connective Communications
Panamax Inc., is the technology unit of Bankai Group, offering market-proven telecom switching, carrier business automation, and mobile financial solutions. We invited CEO Bankim Brahmbhatt to tell us more about the firm and the innovative solutions it offers.
www.tmt-news.com
Editor’s Note
, Welcome to the January edition of TMT Magazine which features our new look. We hope you enjoy it. In this issue, we take a look at the latest news and developments from the technology, media and telecoms sector, including the news that Siemens has been awarded an Emmy for Technical/ Engineering Achievement from The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) for an invention that led to the creation of modern-day television. We chat to CEO of Panamax Inc., Bankim Brahmbhatt to tell us all about its innovative, market-proven telecom switching, carrier business automation, and mobile financial solutions. Under Bankim’s guidance, the firm has gone from strength to strength in order to achieve its current market leading position. Elsewhere, Jonathan Sharp from Britannic Technologies discusses how he thinks companies can transform their business in a digital age. We hope you enjoy this issue.
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Matt Lewis, Editor Phone: +44 (0) 203 725 6842 Email: matthew.lewis@ai-globalmedia.com Website: www.tmt-news.com
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Contents
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Panamax Inc.: Creating Connective Communications- Award Winning CEO Revolutionizing Telecoms
10. Corethree: Mobile Ticketing – The Streamlined Future 11. Kuehne + Nagel: Putting the Logic into Global Logistics 12. Wireless Logic: Turning IoT Vision into Reality 13. The Kitchen Film Ltd: Cooking up a Commercial Storm 13. Telson: Perfection in Postproduction 14. Solidmate Ltd.: Meeting the Demand 15. 5600ºK Productions: From Conception to Distribution 16. Vizrt: Enhancing the Vision 17. Carousel Industries: Making the IT Market its Playground 18. Blackline Safety: The Leading Light in Employee Safety 19. VoiceArchive: Making their Voice(over) Heard 20. Agency105: The Creative Collective 21. Film Clinic: Best Film Production Studio - Mena 22. Infinéte Loop Media: Best Multimedia Production Company - Malaysia 23. INFITEC: Infinite Possibilities in 3D Technology 24. Kraftwerk Living Technologies: Krafting Media Excellence 25. Medialease: Funding the Future 26. Munrostudios: Designing the Future 27. Skypower Aerial Filming: Soaring to Success 28. Involve Employees, & Evolve Your Digital Transformation 30. The Top Five Cloud Trends for 2017
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Mergers, Acquisitions and Infrastructure Optimization will Bolster Cloud Contact Centers in Latin America
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, Gradual replacement of legacy infrastructure with cloud contact center solutions will generate new growth opportunities, finds Frost & Sullivan’s Customer Contact team Currency devaluations and stretched information technology (IT) budgets have led Latin American companies to respond by prioritizing cost containment and measures to improve productivity and operational efficiencies Meanwhile, key contact center companies in the market have made their move towards increasing their portfolio and adding cloud contact center solutions. “On-premise system suppliers will strive to introduce cloud and hybrid-based options to keep pace in an increasingly competitive market,” said Customer Contact Senior Industry Analyst Maiara Munhoz. “For instance, Genesys’s purchase of Interactive Intelligence’s cloud portfolio and enterprise communications components highlights portfolio expansion and provides the former a competitive edge over Avaya.” Latin American Contact Center Systems Market, Forecast to 2021,new analysis from Frost & Sullivan’s Customer Contact Growth Partnership Service program, examines the scope of business transformation across different industry verticals and analyzes how innovative solutions will take over the market. The subscription also explores growth opportunity areas such as social media tools, cloud solutions, omni-channel customer experience, automation via artificial intelligence and virtual agents/advisors.
Click here for complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan’s thought leaders. “Omnichannel solutions must aim to provide proactive customer service that is ‘informed’ by real-time data and predict customer behavior in order to change offers and provide service in real time,” noted Munhoz. “They must also incorporate other data sources for better clarity about the customer, provide real-time guidance capabilities for agents in complex customer support scenarios, and improve agent performance.” Latin American telcos are looking forward to augmenting efficiency and reduce costs. In this context, use of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) technology will see increasing adoption through a range of applications such as speech recognition, speech analytics, biometrics and robotic process automation. About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community.
The Latin American contact center systems market attained $240.0 million in revenues in 2015 and is expected to reach $275.5 million in 2021. In 2015, Brazil represented almost 50% of the total contact center systems market.
By 2021, cloud will comprise more than 30 per cent of the total Latin American contact center market.
ID TECH, a leading manufacturer of secure payment solutions, mobile payment readers, point of sale peripherals, and digital signage, is proud to announce the release of its newest NFC/ Contactless EMV reader, the ViVOpay Kiosk III SRED. As Contactless/NFC payments rapidly gain traction, ID TECH continues to expand its NFC reader line by introducing the industry’s first SRED contactless-only module: Kiosk III SRED. In addition to all the advanced features from the existing non-SRED version, such as AES and TDES encryption, mobile payments, and popular NFC loyalty programs, the SRED version provides added security with tamper detection as well as serving as a base for P2PE solutions, and it is certified with PCI PTS 4.X. “NFC payments and PCI security are at the forefront of today’s payment ecosystem, and our release of the Kiosk III SRED reader further justifies our commitment to pioneering and innovation within contactless payments. As a global leader in contactless payments, the Kiosk III SRED version provides our customers with a solution that supports the latest certifications and provisions them for years to come.” states ID TECH’s VP of Product Management, Justin Ning.
Key regional insights include:
Chile, Peru and Colombia will experience higher growth rates over the forecast period.
ID TECH Releses SRED Contactless EMV Reader: VIVOpay Kiosk III SRED
Contact: Francesca Valente Corporate Communications – Americas P: +54 11 4777 5300 F: +54 11 4777 5300 E: francesca.valente@frost.com ww2.frost.com
The SRED version (like the non-SRED Kiosk III) serves the “unattended market” of kiosks, drive-thrus, vending machines, gas pumps, ATMs, and other self-serve applications. It will also pair up with the existing weather-proof; ruggedized antenna, which has an IP 65 rating. With availability in a square
or angled bezel antenna, the SRED version of Kiosk III follows through with the durable design providing the flexibility to integrate contactless payments into practically any indoor or outdoor application. About ID TECH ID TECH is a global leader in payment peripherals, with sales, manufacturing, and R&D facilities around the world. The company has become a well-established payment solutions provider with extensive experience in data capturing and encryption products and services. Designing dependable, feature-rich products has made ID TECH a leading supplier of MagStripe readers/writers, mobile payment readers, contactless readers, smart card readers, barcode readers, POS keyboards, signature capture devices, PCI-compliant PIN pads, and other specialty products for OEMs, VARs, resellers, distributors, and key end users. ID TECH provides both standard and custom solutions to support customer requirements. For more information about ID TECH, please call 1-800-9841010 or visit www.idtechproducts.com. For more information on this press release visit: www.abnewswire.com/ pressreleases/id-tech-releases-sredcontactless-emv-reader-vivopay-kiosk-iii-sred_94566.html
Media Contact: Company Name: ID TECH Contact Person: Mark Rodgers Email: marketing@idtechproducts. com Phone: 714-761-6368 Address: 10721 Walker St. City: Cypress State: California Country: United States Website: www.idtechproducts.com
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Lippincott develops transformative vision, purpose and identity for TechnipFMC
Creative consultancy Lippincott has partnered with Technip and FMC Technologies to develop their vision, purpose and identity as the two companies join forces to form global oil and gas projects, technologies, systems and services company TechnipFMC. Lippincott developed TechnipFMC’s vision, which is designed to position the newly formed company as a driving force in an industry under pressure: “to enhance the performance of the world’s energy industry.” TechnipFMC’s inspiring purpose will support and articulate this vision by clearly defining the company’s transformative role in its clients’ project economics, which involve some of the most demanding engineering for the production, delivery and transformation of oil and gas. The company’s visual identity was inspired by the merger and mirrors the convergence of Technip and FMC Technologies to create a dynamic company. The forward-facing symbol is derived from a monogram of the two companies’ initials, creating a purple arrow that combines the colours of the two companies and points to the future. Lee Coomber, lead designer and Creative Director EMEA of Lippincott, said: “We worked with Technip and FMC Technologies to reflect their ambitions with a bold vision, engaging purpose and progressive identity. The entire brand system reflects and supports the company’s new aspirations and integrated offering.” Lisa Albiston, Vice President Marketing Communications of TechnipFMC commented: “Our vision is the result of collaborative work between our executive leadership and Lippincott, that explicitly reflects our aspiration to enhance the performance of the world’s energy industry and sets the direction for how we want to lead the change.”
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, Christophe Belorgeot, Vice President Corporate Communications of TechnipFMC said: “The purpose and brand that we have created with Lippincott is the platform for the future success of our company and will help to engage all our colleagues in reinforcing our leadership in the market.” TechnipFMC unveiled the newly formed company on January 17, 2017, at its new London headquarters in St. Paul’s Churchyard. Technip and FMC Technologies combined their capabilities to unlock the potential of technology innovations, leaner operating structure and integrated solutions. About TechnipFMC TechnipFMC is a global leader in subsea, onshore/offshore, and surface projects. With our proprietary technologies and production systems, integrated expertise, and comprehensive solutions, we are transforming our clients’ project economics. We are uniquely positioned to deliver greater efficiency across project lifecycles from concept to project delivery and beyond. Through innovative technologies and improved efficiencies, our offering unlocks new possibilities for our clients in developing their oil and gas resources. Each of our 44,000 employees is driven by a steady commitment to clients and a culture of purposeful innovation, challenging industry conventions, and rethinking how the best results are achieved. To learn more about us and how we are enhancing the performance of the world’s energy industry, go to www. TechnipFMC.com and follow us on Twitter @TechnipFMC. About Lippincott Lippincott is a global creative consultancy. We bring to our clients’ toughest challenges the acumen, rigor and preparedness of a premier business consulting firm — and the spirit, courage and imagination of a world-class innovation and design agency. An industry pioneer for over 70 years, we partner with the world’s leading companies to help them succeed on the edge of change. Lippincott is part of Oliver Wyman, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies.
For further information, please see here: www.lippincott.com/ work/technipfmc
Siemens Awarded Emmy for Technical and Engineering Contribution to Modern-day Television Siemens today announced that it has been awarded an Emmy for Technical/Engineering Achievement from The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) for an invention that led to the creation of modern-day television. The company was recognized in an awards presentation at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show. In the late 1800s, Siemens founder Werner von Siemens and his brother William created what they called an artificial eye. The eye started out as a hollow sphere with an ordinary glass lens. But as light went through it, interacting with the electric conductivity of selenium, it became a one-pixel electronic camera. This discovery drove forward invention of television, yet, for more than a century, the artificial eye was left out of historical accounts. One writer described it as the “the single greatest invention that no one has ever heard of.” “Werner von Siemens was one of the great 19th century inventors, but the full scope and importance of his achievements is sometimes overlooked,” said Laszlo Gaspar, Siemens’ Vice President, Global Sales, Media and Entertainment. “He developed the first transatlantic cable, sparking a new era of global communication. His dynamo machine was instrumental in the development of electrification. And now, thanks to the Academy, more people will know that a man born 200 years ago arrived at the first pixel among the thousands that make up high-definition broadcasts today. “From our beginnings in 1948, the Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards always recognized the talented and innovative leaders and companies that have made our industry possible, “said Bob Mauro, President,
NATAS. “As we all enjoy the new world of television on our laptops, tablets and smartphones, we take time to honor those that have the vision of seeing the seemingly impossible and making it a reality.” Siemens continues to be part of television’s evolution. The Smart Video Engine is Siemens Convergence Creators’ online video platform that enables broadcasters to address the next generation of audiences by extending their reach via Over the Top Television and Television Everywhere platforms. Among other customers on a worldwide basis, the popular German kids TV channel SUPER RTL relies on the technology of Siemens Convergence Creators for their highly successful kids video entertainment service, delivering high quality content to a growing mobile audience. Since being founded in 1847, Siemens has been at the forefront of technological innovation and change across industries including manufacturing, engineering, transportation, energy management, mobility, power generation, building technologies, and entertainment. Over time Werner von Siemens’ founding vision also led to the first electric passenger elevator, the first electric streetcar, and many more inventions that touch our everyday lives. Today, Siemens continues to change the way the world produces and consumes energy, how we live and work, and train and prepare the next-generation of the American workforce. About Siemens Corporation About Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of systems for power generation and transmission as well as medical diagnosis. With approximately 351,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $88.1 billion in fiscal 2016. Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $23.7 billion, including $5.4 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
About Siemens Convergence Creators Siemens Convergence Creators GmbH, headquartered in Vienna, provides its customers with innovative products, turnkey solutions, and services in the fields of communication networks, service and customer management, public safety and security, multimedia infotainment, and space technology. Among its most important customers are top players in their respective industrial sectors: telecommunications, media (TV, publishing houses), transportation (railways, aircraft manufacturers, airlines and airports), space, public safety (action forces), and energy (wind power, oil and gas). Siemens Convergence Creators’ presence in emerging and mature markets like Central and Eastern Europe, Germany, the U.S., India, and China, together along with its powerful network of partners, offers a strong basis for activities all over the world. For more information about Siemens Convergence Creators, please visit www. convergence-creators.siemens.com. About The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy® Award for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime Entertainment, Daytime Creative Arts & Entertainment, Public & Community Service, and Technology & Engineering. NATAS membership consists of over 15,000 broadcast and media professionals represented in 19 regional chapters across the country. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including Regional Student Television and its Student Award for Excellence and the National Student Production Awards for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public. For more information, please visit the website at www.emmyonline.tv
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Panamax Inc.: Creating Connective Communications
Panamax Inc.: Creating Connective Communications Panamax Inc., is the technology unit of Bankai Group, offering market-proven telecom switching, carrier business automation, and mobile financial solutions. We invited CEO Bankim Brahmbhatt to tell us more about the firm and the innovative solutions it offers.
Established in 2001, Panamax delivers first-class, turnkey telecom and technology solutions including BSS interconnect, fraud management, payment gateway and content management systems to Telcos, Banks, Financial service providers, carriers, aggregators and telecommunications service providers across a wide range of verticals and geographies. The firm’s telecoms software, products, services and applications catapults the efficiency of incumbent operators, wireless service providers, VoIP carriers & retail service providers. They ensure revolutionary mechanism for the end-users by connecting them with a network of over 2,000 interconnected, global partners. Bankim discusses how the firm has come to achieve its market leading position through its dedication to innovation and dynamic working practices and commitment to supporting its vast network. “Panamax Inc. is the market leading telecom and mobile financial technology company. We are one amongst the global leaders in ICT sector, drawing on a well-planned and empirically designed roadmap to continually build upon our current success.
Our state of the art and innovative solutions keep us way ahead of our competitors and cater to the mobile finance, business interconnect and telecom technology needs of 100s of customers across the globe.“ “All our products and solutions are highly scalable and easily cope up with the latest technology. The technological adaptations in our products help us amalgamate the technology changes and deliver consistent solutions to our customers. We have been in this sector for last 16 years and have enriched our technological expertise with each passing phase and completion of projects. In addition, over the years we have established state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and brought on board an expert and qualified team of IT professionals to deliver world class solutions to our clientele across the globe. We have also won many awards and accolades for our products, which define us as the market leader and differentiate us from others in the industry.” Bankim, who has been in his current role as CEO and President of the Bankai Group since the group’s inception in 1989, outlines how his leadership over this time has helped it to achieve its current market leading position.
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“Personally, my role is as the CEO and President of Bankai Group of Companies – Broadband Telecom Inc., BridgeVoice Inc., CallnRoam Inc., and Panamax Inc. All these Bankai Group companies are globally recognized leaders and flourishing in the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and services sector. My key responsibilities lie in the development and execution of company’s long-term strategy leading towards the set goals and revenue milestones.” “My role is to ensure that the company has appropriate systems to enable it to conduct its activities both lawfully and ethically, as well as to ensure that the company maintains high standards of corporate citizenship and social responsibility wherever it does business.” As part of his role Bankim relies heavily on his dedicated and professional staff, who are a vital component of the group’s success, as he is eager to highlight. “Fundamentally my staff are the most important asset the company has. The employees play an important role in deciding the culture of the workplace. Their behaviour, attitude, and interest at the workplace form the culture.
They also play a very crucial role in making Panamax Inc. one of the fastest growing telecom companies. They are the ones who contribute effectively towards the successful creation of value for customers. They strive hard to deliver their level best and achieve the assigned targets within the stipulated time frame and every one of us is committed to offering innovative technology solutions to monetize the telecom networks.” Today the telecoms industry is plagued by challenges like increasing frauds, and revenue leakage due to discrepancies in prepaid/ post-paid billing and charging. All these challenges are true to both retail and wholesale business. The landscape today is such that it calls for effective billing/charging systems, FMS and Revenue assurance. Interoperability and ecosystem integrations are other key areas that industry players are trying to cope with. Panamax products help support these struggling sectors through product innovation, commercially viable business models supporting long gestation periods, as Bankim explains. “Panamax has adopted a service approach where client’s requirements are of prime
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importance. Solutions are both converged and fragmented based on the specific requirements of clients, be it telecoms firms, banks or financial institutions, each product is carefully developed with a modular, open and scalable architecture, and can therefore be tailored to give a solution that perfectly fits the bill. With innovation and technology at the helm, we stress on building automated business processes that translate into reduced TCO (Total cost of ownership) and faster TTM (time to market).” “Our range of solutions offer faster time to market and also help reduce our clients’ total cost of ownership. Our products are scaled to offer effective fraud management and revenue assurance. They help in saving huge Capex and Opex by improving operational efficiency and offer seamless management of technology convergence from legacy implemented systems.” Looking to the future, the mobile devices and related data connectivity sectors continue to be more and more embedded in the current structure of telecoms industry and are the key factors in driving the momentum around some major trends such as Unified Communications, SBC (Session
Panamax Inc.: Creating Connective Communications
Border Controller), BSS (Business Support System) Interconnect and mobile payments. As the number of embedded devices that require mobile connectivity grows, telecommunications companies are looking for opportunities to increase revenue through their core businesses such as network connectivity, sale of network equipment and devices.
telecom technology and mobile finance solutions platforms leveraging mobile interface. Our products are robust, modular and scalable to accustom with the industry trends. We offer host-based services and virtual management through SDN (Software Defined Networks) & NFV (Network Function Virtualization).”
In addition, as unified communications become increasingly popular, the growing demand for IP telephony with unified messaging, conferencing, group video systems, premisesbased video infrastructure, and associated product support services are conquering the existing NSS (Network Support Subsystem) domain. The trends do not limit to this, the converged services – 2G, 3G, LTE/4G, Data, etc., WiMAX Solutions, Wireline or Broadband Solutions are also cherishing the fraternity of Business Support Systems for telecom operators.
“The technology is becoming more and more innovative, and so are we. These developments are challenging but we believe in creating agile business models and development of products with an open architecture that can remain at the forefront of these innovations and which will help our clients boost their margins and also generate new and sustainable revenue streams. We are planning to develop a secured and compliant MFS (Mobile Financial Services) platform that can help us penetrate new emerging markets. We aim to offer next level of telecom technology solutions that can cope with the changing industry trends and technology.”
As such Bankim concludes by expressing his excitement at the future and outlining his plans for the future of his group. “Fundamentally, Panamax has pervasive experience in developing
“Overall my aspiration is to virtualize the network functions to radically transform and modernize the telecom industry through robust, scalable and feature-rich switching, interconnect, billing, and payment solutions for telcos, banks & financial service providers. This is an ambitious target but everyone here at Panamax looks forward to undertaking this challenge.”
“My role is to ensure that the company has appropriate systems to enable it to conduct its activities both lawfully and ethically, as well as to ensure that the company maintains high standards of corporate citizenship and social responsibility wherever it does business.”
Company: Panamax Inc Address: 80-02 Kew Gardens Road, Suite 1040, Kew Gardens, New York 11415 Website: www.panamaxil.com
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Mobile Ticketing – The Streamlined Future
Mobile Ticketing – The Streamlined Future Corethree’s unique delivery mechanism allows the team to combine innately bespoke functionality and deep integration with vendors’ IT infrastructure with a robust, proven, scalable and crucially, future-proof foundation. It is the unwavering efforts of Ashley Murdoch, CEO of the Year, UK, and his award-winning team that have made the company a major figurehead in ardently providing its clients and users with services unparalleled in excellence, innovative technological solutions and indeed, record-breaking results time and time again. Global leaders in mobile ticketing and e-commerce, Corethree takes intelligent advantage of the single biggest opportunity to create a direct communication with the customer – the intersection of mobile and data. Specialising in integrating, analysing and monetising content, products, data and services for mobile and enterprises, this marketing-leading business bridges gaps between vendor and consumer. As CEO, Murdoch makes no secret of how the success of the business correlates to the quality of his team. Open and accountable, Murdoch focuses his highly skilled staff on the visions which are to be achieved and ensures that resources are available, be they human, technological or the odd packet of biscuits, to make goals become reality and that funding is available for the execution of these strategies. A position that isn’t easy, yet after Corethree’s multiple awards for its m-ticketing system over the past few years, evidently Murdoch is excelling in guiding his team to success. The esteemed recognition for this has taken many forms, including the highly credible Most Effective Mobile Ticketing System 2013 and Most Innovative Technology at the Engagement & Loyalty Awards 2016, all based upon Corethree’s patent pending solutions platform, Core Engine. Having established Corethree back in January 2010, Murdoch’s
role has certainly evolved over the years. “Being CEO of a start-up with two other staff members means that you do have to undertake multiple and varied roles,” says Murdoch. “You find yourself moving from updating the business plan, to booking viewings for office space and tracking down cheap desks! But I’ve always aspired to get here and it is extremely exciting and rewarding.” As the leader of his team, Murdoch emphatically highlights that he adheres to the principles of deliverance and support. Be it sponsoring an event or taking the team out for a few beers, it is imperative to follow through on your word, lead from the front and be reliable for your staff. If your team have faith if you, they’ll be more confident in themselves. It’s no secret that a team that feels appreciated will always go further than expected. Murdoch endeavours to ensure that the people he works closely with always have everything they need to get the job done, removing hurdles and obstacles so they can power forward. For an industry-leader and market disruptor such as Corethree, Murdoch sees it as vital that the business keeps a keen eye on new launches. Core Engine, Corethree’s masterpiece in integration technology, enables the business to work with a vast number of technologies so ensuring that the business is ready to adopt new developments is vital.
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“That said, it is easy to get bogged down in a spiral as progressions move so fast – not everything is going to be a winner and it’s probably more important to stay afloat of what people are doing with technology or want the technology to do for them.” he says. “CoreEngine really is the key to our success, along with the grit and determination of the team. It allows us to move very quickly and integrate very fast with a vast array of other technologies. We can get solutions out to market orders of magnitude faster than our perceived competitors. This means we get data and real-world experience quickly, allowing us to modify or re-design if required. Our products work and the solutions must perform the functions for which they are meant, especially when dealing with end-users and their money. We have millions of downloads across many clients and this affords us huge amounts of data that we can analyse and educate ourselves further from.” “I have a great product and work with great people; we are all intently focused on doing a great job.” Corethree is now focused on moving into the parking sector, and looking to disrupt the events sector in 2017. “Our goal,” explains Ashley, is to create an eco-system all driven via Core Engine that brings together siloed or disparate companies or technologies via a single sign-on solution to benefit everyone, but most of all the user.” Corethree has just completed its
fourth consecutive year of HyperGrowth, posting a turnover that has more than doubled in the last two years alone. In fact, to date, Corethree has seen 4,500,000 app downloads; well in excess of 20,000,000 m-tickets issued, and whopping sales of £100,000,000 ($130,000,000) per year, for such high-profile clients as First Group, Transport for London, Go Ahead Group, Capita & Transport for Greater Manchester. With such figures behind it, it is evident that Corethree is leading the pack as the most successful m-ticketing provider, and yet this ingenious business model humbly started around Murdoch’s dining room table and Murdoch himself cut his sales teeth in retail selling guitars and synthesizers before working for Yamaha UK, Sony Europe, Fortune Brands and Bower & Wilkins UK before moving into the start-up world. “The turnover that we’ve seen in the last two years alone is phenomenal, and if it doesn’t motivate you to do it again then you probably need a quiet word with yourself. Without sounding all ‘Disney’, it’s pretty cool building the things that help real people get on with their lives. I remember reading some feedback from an end-user using the m-ticketing app for Go Ahead buses who simply said “I love this little app; it gives me an extra fifteen minutes a day in my bed!”” says Murdoch. “That’ll do me.”
Kuehne + Nagel: Putting the Logic into Global Logistics
Kuehne + Nagel: Putting the Logic into Global Logistics Kuehne + Nagel offers a global logistics network with worldwide offices and distribution facilities, staffed by dedicated teams of experts. We examine the secrets behind the firm’s success.
Since 1890, when the business was founded in Bremen, Germany, by August Kuehne and Friedrich Nagel, Kuehne + Nagel has grown into one of the world’s leading logistics providers. Today, the Kuehne + Nagel Group has more than 1,200 offices in over 100 countries, with approximately 69,000 employees. Throughout this 126-year history, Kuehne + Nagel has evolved from a traditional international freight forwarder to a leading global provider of innovative and fully integrated supply chain solutions.
drives the various sectors, anticipating their respective logistics requirements. Seamlessly combining its entire suite of services from across its business fields, Kuehne + Nagel develops and implements customised logistics solutions throughout the supply chain, from logistics consulting and planning, right through to aftermarket services. KN PharmaChain is Kuehne + Nagel’s logistics solution for the pharma and healthcare sector dedicated to the storage and multimodal transport of temper-
ature controlled pharmaceutical products, both domestically and internationally. KN PharmaChain with its innovation in the field of real-time tracking gave the judging panel the evidence required to make the “Best Transport & Logistics RFID Application” award. The KN PharmaChain active monitoring solution is based on Kuehne + Nagel’s global web based track and trace system KN Login, which has been enhanced to link with a number of third party sourced active and semi-active sensors and RFID tags to provide in real time the required shipment
information. Currently capability exists to monitor and report GPS position, temperature, humidity, shock, voltage and door open, with further enhancements to the system and addition of new parameters planned in the future. In the event of a measurement going outside the required range the 24/7/365 Careteam is on hand to proactively intervene as defined in a predefined contingency plan in order to resolve the specific in-transit event.
www.kuehne-nagel.com
Operating across all the key transport sectors, including air freight, sea freight, overland, contract logistics and integrated logistics, as well as providing logistic services throughout the industry, with core markets including aerospace, retail, healthcare and industrial, the group serves a vast array of customers and therefore aims to tailor their solutions to meet their needs. Within the industry, Kuehne + Nagel has a proven track record with some of the largest and bestknown companies in the world, providing integrated, value-creating solutions to the world’s major industries. With proven end-toend supply chain expertise and dedicated industry specialists, the company fully understands what
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Wireless Logic: Turning IoT Vision into Reality
Wireless Logic: Turning IoT Vision into Reality Europe’s leading independent Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) managed services provider, winner of Best M2M & IoT Managed Services Company – Europe, Wireless Logic works with over 1000 application providers, system integrators and enterprises, delivering a range of managed services including management and monitoring software platforms, a cloud-based private network infrastructure as well as specialist cellular and satellite connectivity. We explore how the firm has grown since inception alongside its market to provide the very highest quality solutions to meet their needs.
In an increasingly connected world, Wireless Logic was established through the vision of codirectors Oliver Tucker and Philip Cole, to create a critically important layer between mobile networks and organisations requiring a dedicated M2M/IoT managed services solution. That layer is not simply about connectivity – the Wireless Logic proposition is a finely-tuned set of value-added services where the airtime is but one of many facets within the customer offering. The Wireless Logic Group remains owned and managed by the founding Directors in conjunction with CVC Capital Partners. With immense financial strength, Wireless Logic works within a high growth market, with strong market share. Today the firm focuses on a number of key market segments delivering complete M2M/IoT managed services across both mobile, satellite, low power wireless networks, and fixed line solutions. Its USP is its ability to overlay a private secure network across the global mobile networks to give customers access to an otherwise high-cost and complex platform.
Known as NetPro, Wireless Logic’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service has transformed organisations’ capabilities in deploying secure and resilient network structures with no CAPEX, stringent SLAs and the ability to give Fixed IP addresses to each mobile device. All services operate across a single unified technology platform and are designed to meet the specific needs of connected assets within the global markets of M2M and the Internet of Things (IoT). Continuous investment in technology enables Wireless Logic to provide an increasing range of value-added services which include specialist mapping solutions from Google and HERE, device management platforms and end-to-end security encryption services. Horizontally positioned, Wireless Logic works with hundreds of vertical applications - these include asset and vehicle tracking, telematics, metering, security, electronic payment, m-healthcare and a range of enterprise solutions. Connected devices through Wireless Logic exceed 2.2m SIM subscriptions enabled by over 30 strategic partnerships across over 30 European networks. This gives
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the organisation reach to 250+ global mobile networks. Carriers include O2, Telefonica, Vodafone, Everything Everywhere, Telenor, SFR, Bouygues, Deutsche Telekom and satellite provider - Inmarsat. The breadth of connectivity options gives customers an unrivalled choice across Europe, but with a global reach. Local, roaming and global SIM solutions are now being enhanced by ‘Multi-profile/Multi IMSI SIM solutions which will meet the need of applications requiring flexible, multi-network single SIMs, with the ability to re-programme network choice over the air (OTA). Maintaining Wireless Logic’s market-leading presence requires a constant lookout for valueadds that can continue to set its managed services apart from others. The organisation is now structured to capitalise on new product development with Research, Development and Delivery teams, all based in-house. Always working in collaboration with external partners, the founding directors’ drive to ensure Wireless Logic remains at the forefront of the ‘M2M and IoT connected world’ is unwavering. With initiatives such as the exclusive relationships with Google and
HERE, MapPro delivers inclusive managed services, connectivity and mapping solutions in seamless integrated packages. Wireless Logic is focused on delivering ‘first to market’ solutions that embrace the fast-moving and evolving technologies available. In 2015, CVC Capital Partners joined the board of Wireless Logic to support the organisation’s ambitious growth plans across Europe. As such, moving forward the two firms will be seeking to grow and expand Wireless Logic’s global reach as it seeks to maintain its strong market position and continue to meet the ever evolving needs and constantly raised expectations of its clients.
Company: Wireless Logic Ltd Address: Horizon, Honey Lane, Hurley, Berkshire, SL6 6RJ Phone: +44 (0) 330 056 3300 Email: info@wirelesslogic.com Website: www.wirelesslogic.com
The Kitchen Film Ltd: Cooking up a Commercial Storm
The Kitchen Film Ltd: Cooking up a Commercial Storm The Kitchen Film Ltd is a Hong Kong-based commercial company offering innovative film adverts to clients across the APAC region. The company has recently been awarded the tittle of, Best Film Production Company - Hong Kong. We explore the unique campaigns that have made this dynamic firm the success it is today.
Since 2003, the Kitchen have been reinventing the commercials market for clients by inviting directors from all over the world. Many brilliant commercials have been cooked up by the directors that the company invites from France, UK, Japan, Korea, Malaysian and Taiwan. Of course, local directors from Hong Kong are just as exciting as ever, and the company supports
the very best Directors both locally and internationally to ensure that all of its adverts are of the highest possible quality. Previous collaborators include Jay Park, Eric Will and Blake Faber. Having worked with international household names including Samsung, Ferro Rocher, L’Oréal and Estée Lauder, Coke, etc, The Kitchen has the experience and expertise to create commercials
which appeal to a wide range of audiences. This prestigious clientele highlights the firm’s professionalism and the excellence of its finished product. The Kitchen’s show reel is starstudded with famous celebrities, including various Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Korean pop-
stars, highlighting the international range of the firm. Overall, the Kitchen believes in having fun in filming, while offering good quality production for its clients.
Website: www.thekitchen.com.hk
Telson: Perfection in Postproduction
Telson: Perfection in Postproduction Telson is a Madrid-based audio visual company providing a wide range of services covering both pre and post production. The company has been honored with the title of, Most Renowned Postproduction Company – Spain. We profile the firm and explore the secrets behind its success. Established in 1982, Telson has become a benchmark in the audio-visual industry, thanks to its advertising services and film post-production; to its corporative communication and television channels management, as well as being a pioneer company in the digitization of content. The firm cover every step of the audio-visual chain across advertising, film and television, from its conception to final customer delivery. It also provides preand post-spots and commercial ads thanks to professionals in colour grading, and 3D motion graphics, who also carry out film
credits, headings, graphic lines for programs, VFX design and supervision. Services offered by the firm also cover the conceptualization and implementation of channel adds; projects design for any platform; corporative video; digitalization and content management; broadcast and channels continuity, the implementation of IP channels and platforms; video on demand and digital signage. Specifically within postproduction, the firm has a wide array of expertise and is able to support clients throughout the process. It has six rooms dedicated to the
design and graphic composition based on the platform MAC with the suite of Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) and CINEMA 4D and Maya with Arnold for 3D composition. Golaem for crowding. As part of the Tres60 Group, one of the main audio visual holding companies in Spain, the firm has access to a vast array of expertise and knowledge. The group’s activities cover the whole value chain of the Audiovisual Industry. Tres60 Group has a highly-qualified team of nearly 1,000 employees in eight companies, covering all the specializations needed to offer a complete service to its more than
400 clients, including a large number of leading companies across Spain. Through both its association to the group and its dedication to providing the very highest standard of service to its clients, Telson is at the forefront of the audio-visual market, and moving forward the firm will be seeking to maintain and build upon this strong industry position and continue to offer the very best expertise to clients.
Website: www.telson.es
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Meeting the Demand
Meeting the Demand When it comes to the broadcast and cinematography world, the pace of evolution is second to none. This has seen a huge increase in the amount of storage needed, now that tape is but a distant memory. There is a high demand for its replacement in the form of solid state media, with the capacity to store infinitely more information than the preceding decades, and it is possible now to gather images and footage at a rate and quality the likes of which we have never seen before. As such, Solidmate Ltd. concentrates solely on the rental of memory cards and mobile drives, and supplies high-capacity cards for use with Sony devices, or for the smaller less memory guzzling cameras like Go Pro. The company has recently been honoured with the Most Innovative New Company Award. Styling itself as the perfect solution should a customer need extra memory cards, Solidmate and its people are well aware of the potential to get ‘caught short’ whilst on a shoot with no more storage capacity, as well as the fact that the process of offload is not convenient at the time. “Sometimes,” comments Paul Parsons, “there just aren’t enough cards to go around, so the need for more memory is essential, and it can be hard to find the necessary device at a reasonable rate. As we concentrate solely on providing a quick and efficient service to solve the ‘not enough memory’ problem, we can provide a cost that is hard to beat, along with a quick turnaround that gives us a real competitive edge.” Indeed, Solidmate has the capability to allow its products to be booked in advance. If a client is for whatever reason stuck on a shoot, and cannot get to them in order to collect it themselves, then Solidmate can organise fast and efficient delivery. With over 15 years’ experience in the broadcast industry, Paul and his team understand the importance and sometime urgent needs of their clients. “Our products are really governed by what is happening in the filming and photography world,” Paul details. “There most popular camcorders and cameras out there
only real boil down to just a handful of different products, which makes it much easier to cope with the demand we see. “I would say that there are around five or six different types of memory cards that are highly used within the broadcast and filming industry, so as long as we hold large numbers of these cards, then business will flourish. It's all about being able to supply when needed, which means if a client needs 20 or 30 of one particular card, which is quite often, then we have to be able to supply this at the drop of a hat.” There is an element of challenge to this, considering that card capacities have not yet caught up with the cameras that are capable of taking up vast amounts of memory data, especially if recording in 4K RAW resolution for a continual period over a few days, which Paul recognises as becoming more popular on location shoots. Paul recognises that while cameras will continue to make leaps and bounds, the capacities of memory cards will only move at a certain pace. “The manufacturers will not simply jump from a 128GB capacity to a 10TB capacity, as they will miss all the sales in between, even though the technology is probably there already. So, they have to move at a reasonable pace as camera technology increases, as will the need for higher capacity memory.”
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As Paul describes it, the key to keeping up with industry trends like this revolve around camera technology and its determination to continue to evolve; in order to continually match the demand and capability of cameras to record in such high quantities as well as quality, Solidmate will follow this and act accordingly, fulfilling a crucial function in this increasingly busy market. “As far as we know, we are the only UK company concentrating on the rental supply of memory cards; other rental houses that supply camera kit as well just don't have – and probably don't want to have – the amounts of memory cards and drives that we have, because that is our sole market, and we are able to cover any excess needs for the rental houses too.” Based on this, Solidmate is fundamentally a real niche business; due to the understanding and long term servicing of the film and broadcast industry, Paul was simply able to see a gap in the market, and now successfully supplies many big productions that are enjoyed by millions of British viewers. To date, Solidmate have supplied ITV productions such
Company: Solidmate Ltd Contact: Paul Parsons Address: East Molesey, Surrey Email: paul@solidmate.co.uk Website: www.solidmate.co.uk Telephone: 020 3475 7010
as The Voice and Paul O'Grady: For The Love Of Dogs, the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, and David Attenborough’s Galapagos. “I am motivated by the fact that what we do here is an essential part of what is broadcast on our TV's today, even though it seems such a small part,” Paul concludes. “Without us, life for production companies would be much harder, and it would cost them lots more money if they were having to purchase the amount of memory cards needed elsewhere. Every production has a budget, and if you can save lots of money by renting your memory cards for a fraction of the cost of buying them, then it is really a no-brainer. “It feels fantastic to have become a permanent fixture on many people’s contact list, including the largest broadcasters in the country. There are always openings, and because technology moves at a tremendous pace, all you need is an open mind and a willingness to try something out.”
From Conception to Distribution
From Conception to Distribution Version positive
Founded in 2008, 5600ºK Productions is owned and managed by a duo of creators coming from different professional backgrounds: cinema and advertising. The company has been awarded with the title of Best Video Production Services Company – Canada. Justin Antippa holds a Masters degree in Film Productions from Concordia University in Montréal; his résumé includes fictions, documentaries and experimental films. Martin Saulnier, meanwhile has been working in the advertising industry for the past 30 years. The fortunate encounter between these two, between cinema and advertising, has set the stage for a remarkable professional and creative environment that stands out for its inventiveness and innovation against the wider market. Version négative
5600 ºK Productions creates advertising, promotional, corporate, and documentary films, as well as TV series and fiction films. Established in Québec, the company primarily serves Eastern Canada with clients in the provinces of Québec, Ontario and the Maritimes. Depending on the needs of its clients, the production team shoots on location pretty much anywhere in North America. Its markets include the commercial, industrial and institutional sectors. For 5600 ºK Productions, each job must share a common denominator – quality – which is achieved through constant attention to details, not only from a technical standpoint, but also in terms of aesthetic and content. This commitment to quality is what guides the company in its approach to filmmaking. As an example, for an advertising film, 5600 ºK Productions adds ambience to the documentary description of a product or service to enhance viewers’ sensory perception.
already know our clients’ needs. We like to get the big picture before starting the creative process.” For them, the client always has the best understanding of the product or service that needs to be promoted. As such, they listen, ask questions, take note, let it all soak in; only then do they begin putting their expertise and talent at work on the creative process. As the French poet Nicolas Boileau once wrote, ‘whatever is well conceived is clearly said, And the words to say it flow with ease’.
Justin Antippa and Martin Saulnier remember one particular client who, after visioning the adds he had ordered, said with emotion: ‘’our job is to get the message across; your job is to create it!’’ Antippa and Saulnier understand what needs to be done to build a productive relationship with their clients. “We don’t anticipate and pretend we
Project management and planning between the two directors is decided based on project content and client’s expectations. It is this combination of complementary skills that gives 5600 ºK Productions a significant advantage. Clients get the best of both advertising and filmmaking. The contribution of cinematic art to corporate and
At 5600 ºK Productions, projects are carried out by combining the respective strengths and expertise of both producers. Justin Antippa brings his comprehensive knowledge of documentary and fiction filmmaking and his awardwinning skills in cinematography, while Martin Saulnier, brings his long experience in advertising and animation filmmaking, his technical savvy and award-wining expertise in special effects. Their combined talent adds that wow factor to all productions.
advertising films helps create an innovative product. The quality guidelines set by 5600 ºK Productions is the concern of the entire technical team. Employees play a pivotal role in the creative process. Each member contributes positively to the ultimate goal of creating the best possible productions. Collaboration leads to solidarity and complicity, turning shooting sets into harmonious creative spaces where an environment of respect for the production in the making develops naturally. The pleasure of working as a team in this unique atmosphere translate into the quality of every production. Constantly updated technology is the cornerstone of 5600 ºK Productions’ ability to deliver creative and quality video productions. Technology isn’t the message, but it helps convey it. For example, the addition of drones to their already important inventory
of equipment, one of the largest in Québec, allows filming impressive images that are extremely distinctive and contribute to the clarity of the visual discourse. Receiving the prestigious TMT News Media Award for Best video production services company in Canada is certainly invigorating and gratifying for 5600 ºK Productions. For the co-owners, it is also a recognition that confirms they’re on the right track. For Justin Antippa and Martin Saulnier, filmmaking is the best job in the world. With each project, they get a privileged access and deeper understanding of various fields of human endeavour, they learn about the craftsmen’s dedication for their trade, and they are able to share ideas with exceptional people. This world of exploration stimulates their imagination and ignites their passion for creative cinematography as a mean of communication.
L-R: Justin Antippa and Martin Saulnier
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Enhancing the Vision
Enhancing the Vision Vizrt provides tools for the media industry that allows them to produce content for live productions and preproduced videos for any format including on air, online and on social media. The tools include real-time 3D graphics, video playout, studio automation, sports analysis, journalist story tools, asset management. Workflows include interactive and virtual solutions, animations, maps, weather, story and video editing, compositing, and multiplatform VOD and live playout. Virtz have recently been honoured with the title of Leading Experts in Tech Awards 2016. Vizrt CEO Michael Hallén, who has a Masters in Engineering Physics, has a long-held, deeply-set passion for his work; so much so that he professes to have always been working with exciting technology in one form or another. “I headed my first large publicly-traded company in 2003,” he reflects, “and since then I have continued to run great tech companies that are not satisfied with the tech industry status-quo, but focus on making a global impact in their respective markets. Michael came to Vizrt most recently from Qmatic Group, where he was also CEO, and oversaw the Swedish software and hardware company as it grew within the Customer Experience Management space. In this role and through his previous occupations, he has attained 25 years “I am happy to say that every company that I have worked with has made a significant impact in their own special ways, and now that I am heading a company that was founded as a media innovator, I am here to make sure that we continue to push and drive the media industry to even greater innovation.” As a self-confessed tech and news nerd, Michael has found it very exciting to be able to participate in accelerating the media industry since coming to Vizrt earlier this year, especially in such a critical time. “Especially at this moment,” he says, “in a time when the industry is in the middle of a massive evolution from traditional broadcasting, as it
moves towards more IP-based means of production by the individual journalist that is delivered anywhere, we are positioned to be a driving force in the change and are ensuring that our customers who are expanding from being the not only the major broadcasters, but newspapers, bloggers and individual journalists - have the tools needed for today’s media, as well as tomorrow’s. “In five years, I will be still running Vizrt as a significantly larger company and market leader with even more happy clients,” he proclaims. “It is fantastic to see our technology in the hands of our customers, and seeing them become successful because of it. I am constantly talking to customers, to listen to their needs to make sure that what we provide to them gives them a competitive advantage. I was recently in New York for the U.S. Election and seeing every single major American broadcaster use our tools to cover the event, and seeing them shining brightly on all the big screens of Times Square was an intensely proud and very motivating moment. This immense exposure for Vizrt leads Michael to reflect upon the hurdles that he has had to overcome in order to reach his prestigious place within the market. “I have run a number of companies that have operated in very competitive markets – in these markets, it is important to recognize the opportunities and risks involved,” he says. “Like any high-risk market, it is possible to go through massive failure, but also to enjoy massive success. To ensure that we remain on the positive side
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of that and keep building upon our successes, I have made sure that I always have the right team in place who know the market and can read the risks. With these teams, like we have at Vizrt, nothing is impossible to achieve.” As such, Michael manages his colleagues by setting a clear vision for the company to drive towards and empower them to do so with significant freedom. Michael singles his colleagues out as trusted advisers, who know the industry intimately, so he listens to them and takes their suggestions very seriously, to make sure that they are all driving towards the same goals. Listening to employees is of course an important element to consider, but Michael also stresses the voice of the client as an equally essential component. “You have to listen to the customers and the market,” he advises, “but you should not limit yourself to your own market. Take a look around; talk to customers in adjacent industries and borrow the ideas that work for them. Media is constantly evolving so you have to make sure that your customers have what they need today but also be ready with the tools they will need tomorrow.”
increased. On the other hand, new technology is providing Michael with a positive impact to his company’s capabilities. New innovations like Cloud-based graphics rendering, as well as faster and more powerful graphics cards, means that Vizrt can provide faster and more powerful tools for its customers. “Keeping up with the changes means having trusted advisers in the company, who have really good connections in the industry” Michael mentions. “These personal contacts help make it easier to get the best technology before it hits the market. They also make it easier to make the right, informed decisions on which technology to use.” Over the years, Michael has excelled at handling complex environments and coaching colleagues in such a situation. He expresses his deep trust in his colleagues, and his eagerness to empower them to run with their ideas and creative processes. This, he is adamant, will ensure that they have a very clear view of the direction the company must take in order to continue to be successful.
This has become more difficult as the pace of new technology has
Company: Vizrt Name: Michael Hallén Email: orange@vizrt.com Web Address: www.vizrt.com Address: Nordre Nøstekaien 1, 5011 Bergen, Norway Telephone: +47 5523 0025
Making the IT Market its Playground
Making the IT Market its Playground Carousel Industries is a recognized leader in helping organizations evolve the way they communicate and orchestrate the flow of information throughout their networks. We explore how the firm has achieved this strong market position through its dedication to innovation and commitment to excellence. Founded in 1992, since inception Carousel has grown an average of 30 per cent yearly, and has over 6,000 customers, including 35 of the Fortune 100. Through its vast service offering, Carousel enables clients to connect and collaborate the way modern IT users demand and advance from their current network infrastructure to meet tomorrow’s standards. Headquartered in Exeter, with over 1,000 employees working from offices in 25 locations across the US, including over 250 service technicians deployed across the country, serving the needs of our customers nationwide, the firm offers a truly global reach as well as vast sector expertise. With this deep expertise across a vast portfolio of communication, network, and security technologies, Carousel is able to design, implement, and support solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of each customer. By offering professional and managed services with flexible deployments in the cloud, Carousel ensures clients achieve agility and utilize technologies in the way most effective for their business.
The firm’s managed services, mobility, video solutions, A/V integration, virtualization, unified
communications, and data infrastructure solutions leverage its consultative approach, deep technical expertise, and extensive industry partnerships. Due to the vast growth the firm has seen in recent years, it has been recognized by multiple publications and industry consortiums as a top technology integrator, managed service provider, and cloud solution provider. In addition, Carousel holds top partner status and certification with many leading technology companies including Avaya, Juniper Networks, Extreme Networks and Microsoft. These certifications are only given to business partners who have met rigorous requirements for converged voice and data, technical expertise, and customer satisfaction. These distinctions are a direct result of the talent, dedication, and commitment of the Carousel team including pre-sales engineering, project management, post-sales support, account management, and training. Within the wider technology industry, Carousel is uniquely positioned as the only provider who can offer Enterprise Class A/V integration and Video Conferencing solutions as a component of an enterprise wide Unified Communications environment – UC expertise and
Visual Communications all from one source! This holistic approach offers tremendous advantages over other providers and saves customers significant time and expense. This position was achieved under the leadership of Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Gardner. Jeff is an established veteran of the communications and networking industries. He is a visionary with a proven track record of building Carousel through innovative growth plays, consistently staying one step ahead of the technology curve. Under Jeff’s leadership, Carousel has grown both organically and through eight strategic acquisitions, enjoying 23 consecutive years of profitable growth. Jeff’s penchant for success stems from more than a sharp eye for corporate progress. He has a distinct ability to anticipate customer needs and is fuelled by a passion to help his clients become true innovators and leaders in their markets.
Connecting every day with customers, Jeff is committed to providing a personal focus and ensuring that Carousel delivers a positive impact on each client’s business. He applies the same level of personal focus to the entire Carousel team. As the business grows, he takes great care to protect Carousel’s values-led culture and ensure the company continues to be one of the best places to work. Looking ahead, the firm aims to remain true to its mission: to architect and integrate the best applications from the best technology providers into solutions that solve business problems and contribute to its clients’ organizations’ growth. In order to achieve this the firm will continue to design, deliver, manage and support enterprise and mid-market level technology solutions, remaining at the forefront of industry innovation.
Company: Carousel Industries Address: 659 South County Trail, Exeter, RI 02822 Phone: +1 800-401-0760 Website: www.carouselindustries.com
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Blackline Safety: The Leading Light in Employee Safety
Blackline Safety: The Leading Light in Employee Safety Blackline Safety is a global leader that develops and manufactures leading connected safety technology that can detect an employee’s exposure to toxic or flammable gases, an injury or health incident, and even evacuate a facility. CEO Cody Slater talks us through the firm and how it approaches this vital role. Established in 2004, Blackline Safety is a wireless location leader that creates connected safety products and services to monitor the wellbeing of employees, whether they work in hazardous locations or face the everyday risks of industrial environments. Blackline solutions deliver situational awareness using worker-worn wireless monitoring devices, mobile messaging, and a web-based monitoring interface. The company’s products allow customers to protect their personnel with fall and man-down (motionless) detection while also monitoring for toxic or flammable gases in the places they work. Should a gas exposure occur, the employee’s connected safety device alerts monitoring personnel automatically and begins a two-way voice call via built-in speakerphone. Cody discusses how the firm tailors its solutions to meet the needs of individual clients.
“Businesses in every industry are unique so there are no onesize-fits-all approaches.
From manufacturers and utility companies to energy businesses, refineries and labs, our omprehensive monitoring solutions accommodate every industry and size of business. “We have recently emerged as a leader in the gas detection industry. Our new G7 product converges our connected safety monitoring technology with gas detection capability—all within a single device. Now, all gas readings are communicated to our monitoring infrastructure and every alert is managed by a live team in real-time. Our technology provides businesses a 100% view of gas detection compliance
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by centralizing gas detection calibration data and reporting within a convenient web-based interface. “Understanding a client’s needs and situation is the starting point when we work with them. We are there to empower their safety programs, increase their preparedness and amplify their emergency response capability. Our dedicated teams engage with new clients efficiently and comprehensively to deliver maximum value.” Gas detection has traditionally functioned similar to a household smoke detector. If a particular gas is present in the environment, a conventional device would call out to the employee. Unfortunately, personnel don’t always have enough time to self-rescue and leave the site. Now, connected safety technology from Blackline Safety connects every gas reading
to a live monitoring team who manage an efficient response to the employee’s exact location. Blackline is already well-positioned as a leader in this arena, and their broad portfolio of solutions meets the needs of every industry, employee role, location, and scenario. Moving forward, Cody is excited for the future as the firm seeks to build upon its current success. “Looking ahead, Blackline Safety is ambitious and optimistic about the future of connected safety. We are highly motivated to make a difference for workers who have been injured, suffered a health event, or are exposed to toxic or flammable gases. Through instant alerting and accurate mapping of an employee’s location, we can empower a positive outcome through the most efficient emergency response possible.”
Company: Blackline Safety Name: Cody Slater, CEO Email: cslater@blacklinesafety.com Web Address: www.blacklinesafety.com Address: Unit 101, 1215 13 Street SE, Calgary, AB, T2G 3J4, Canada Telephone: +1-403-451-0327
Making Their Voice(over) Heard
Making their Voice(over) Heard VoiceArchive are a full-service voice-over agency, operating in the global voice-over market. The firm have recently been honoured with the title of Best Theatrical Dubbing Specialists – UK. CEO John Harley talks us through the firm and the services it provides. VoiceArchive dub movies, TV shows, cartoons and corporate videos and adverts, and have worked industry giants including Netflix, Channel 4, Studiocanal and Les Mills. John outlines the firm’s service range and how it works to provide the very highest quality services that meet the needs of clients.
and Studiocanal, and we are keen to take on more of this work and grow our expertise and experience in this area.”
“All too often people remember the old days when dubbed movies were out of sync with the visuals etc. We aim to show the world just how effective good dubbing can be. As such we provide a huge range of services including localising movies and TV shows from any language to any other language or languages providing lip-sync dubbing. We have a huge network of translators and adaptors who, not only have to provide a high quality of translation, but also have to take things into account such as cultural sensitivities while respecting spoken line length and mouth movements.” Moving forward, John foresees massive growth in the industry as Electronic Programme Guides develop, and as such he has big plans for his firm to grow and build upon its current success. “Currently VoiceArchive are building up the Access Services side of the business, which includes subtitling, audio description and on-screen signing in order to meet growing demand for these services. We have just completed a lovely project for Netflix in audio description and also for Channel 4
Name: John Harley (UK CEO) Email: john.harley@voicearchive.com Web Address: www.voicearchive.co.uk Address: VoiceArchive, ADRenaline Dubbing Facility, 2 Junction Road, Harrow, London HA1 1NL Telephone: 020 7993 8251
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Agency105: The Creative Collective
Agency105: The Creative Collective Agency105 is both an esteemed collective of talented and experienced UK creatives, and a multi-faceted production company. Founder and Art Director Christopher Manoe talks us through the firm and the services it provides.
Agency105 have been consistently producing world class entertainment s o l u t i o n s internationally for over fifteen years. The firm produces a range of mediums including film, documentary, theatre, live events, books and photography. Christopher, who has led the company with a very clear vision, ethos and aesthetic from the start, discusses the firm’s approach and how it works to ensure it encourages clients to work with the firm repeatedly. Here at Agency105, our clients range from corporate giants like MasterCard, whom we work with producing entertainment events for ‘The Brit Awards’, to long running car client, Jaguar Land Rover, who have entrusted us with celebrity booking and large scale corporate events and launches. “What joins these clients is the exceptional level of service they receive when they work with us. Our creatives have recently retrained in virtual and augmented reality, to create innovative entertainment content for these rapidly expanding technological mediums. We pride ourselves in only producing a high quality event or product. As a team, we are our own worst critics and unrelenting perfectionists. We turn this into a positive, and to date, has ensured our clients receive only the very best.” Looking to the wider entertainment industry, the market is rapidly
evolving and with increased social media awareness and advances in technology. Therefore, moving forward Christopher believes that the future looks positive for his firm as he outlines how it will adapt and evolve in order to remain at the forefront of the latest industry innovations and continue to offer clients the very highest standard of service. “Ultimately, we are excited at the current rate of development in our sector and we are monitoring the market closely for new trends. We use social media religiously and stay abreast of new ideas in the market. “Print media seems to be decreasing rapidly, and we are moving so much of our output and ideas to on screen, iPad or tablet friendly media, which tends to expand the visual content, quality and quantity you can present. It also saves the trees! We much prefer not having to send or print reams & reams of paper and are much in favour of the paperless office! “Overall, we are excited about 2017 and all the possibilities it may bring. We want to do more on the world stage and showcase our collective creative talent. Film is a love, and we definitely want to increase the film projects and TV concepts we develop. We’d like to once again thank the entertainment awards for this honour, and look forward to building a relationship with our fellow winners!
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Company: Agency105 Name: Christopher Manoe Email: Chris@international-collective.com Website: www.Agency105.com Address: 64 Great Eastern Street - Shoreditch - London Telephone: +44 (0) 7747 797879
Best Film Production Studio - Mena
Best Film Production Studio - Mena Film Clinic is an Egypt based film production firm creating a diverse range of award winning films. We profile the firm and explore the range of well-crafted titles it produces. Established in 2005, Film Clinic is now considered one of the leading production companies in the MENA region that not only creates unique features but also empowers talents to do so. The firm have a passion for the filmmaking industry and enjoys operating in all its diverse fields on both national and international platforms. As such its philosophy is to blend the creative, vibrant ideas of the young generation with the expertise of the best in cinema in order to present strong movies to audiences of exquisite taste and an equal admiration to the beloved silver screen. Recent successes for the firm include Director Mohamed Diab’s Clash, Sherif El Bendary’s Ali, the Goat and Ibrahimis and Rifqi Assaf’s The Curve, all of which have gained international recognition. With average budgets ranging from 500,000 USD to 2,000,000 USD the firm is able to create visually stunning features which empower local talents to tell their stories to the region and to the world through film, and helping to build a more sustainable film industry. As such approximately 50% of the firm’s productions are created first or second time directors who are finding their feet through this dedicated and professional company. The firm is managed by the renowned Producer and Scriptwriter Mohamed Hefzy, who
studied Metallurgical Engineering in London and still works in his field of study as he oversees his family’s copper manufacturing business. In spite of that, he managed to establish his status as one of the most prominent young scriptwriters and producers in the Arab world over the last ten years. In 2013, he was the only Arab to be selected by Screen International magazine as one of the 30 future leading producers globally.
After a decade of success, Film Clinic decided to expand to a new distribution arm, Film Clinic Indie Film Distribution, a distribution company dedicated to promote both Arab and International films in
the MENA region and worldwide. Moving forward it will continue to build a legacy of excellence and support the growth of the region’s burgeoning film industry.
Among his earliest hit films are El Selem Wi El Teeban (SnakesAndLadders) in 2001, Tito in 2004, and MalakiEskenderia (PrivateAlexandria) in 2005, which earned him the Best ScreenwriterAward from the Egyptian Catholic Center CinemaFestival in 2005, and 45 Youm (45Days), for which he received the Best Screenwriter Award at the EgyptianOscars in 2007. His latest works include Aswar Al Amar (Wallsof the Moon) and From A to B, which were released in Egyptian cinemas in January 2015. In 2005, he founded Film Clinic as a development and production company, and in 10 years, he has already produced and co-produced 19 feature films in Egypt, the US, the UK and the Arab world. Recently, Hefzy has written the action thriller Warda (2014), the first film to be created in FoundFootage style in the Arab world. He also co-wrote and co-produced the feature-length film From A to B, which included an A-list group of Arab filmmakers in Egypt, UAE and Lebanon. The film was screened at the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2014.
Company: Film Clinic Address: 141 (A) Corniche El Nile, 9th floor, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt E-mail: info@film-clinic.com Phone: +202 252 680 50 Fax: +202 252 680 14 Website: www.film-clinic.com
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Best Multimedia Production Company - Malaysia
Best Multimedia Production Company - Malaysia Infinéte Loop Media is a digital media agency in creative content and a multimedia production studio based in Johor Bahru, Iskandar Malaysia. We caught up with Founder and Director Ken Neoh to find out more.
Infinéte Loop Media is a multimedia creation studio which focuses on providing creative and digital media creation for corporate and commercial usage for clients based throughout Asia. These clients are varied and range from local small and medium enterprise through to international multi-national companies. To these clients the firm offers full fledge video production from creative ideas, conceptualization, storyboard drawing, production planning, in-house production through to on-customer-site production, Post-production, 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Special Effects, Green Screen Technology Production and as well online broadcast in social media platforms. “In order to offer the very best solutions to clients I employ the very best staff and work hard to support them to ensure that they are able to provide clients with the service they need,” Founder and Director Ken proudly states. “My leadership style is very trusting, and I believe in my employees and delegate the right task to the right people with the right skillset. At the same time, I fully believe in human development and it’s very important to develop not only hard skills like technical abilities, but also soft skills like interpersonal understanding and effective communications.”
In order to remain at the forefront of the ever evolving digital media market the firm has to work hard to adapt around the latest industry developments. As such Infinéte are not only a game player in the market region that we are serving now, but also a game changer in term of how it brings in new creative creation that revolutionizes the local region market. The firm remains innovative by introducing new techniques that will bring in a fresh new perspective to this industry.
“Personally, I hope that I will be able to lead this company to greater height in term of not only expansion but also greater achievements and recognitions. Overall it is an
exciting time for our business and we are looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunities we foresee” Ken concludes.
Additionally, the firm keeps itself updated with the industry trends by following up on the technology and techniques that is relevant to its work and specifically focus on acquiring the technologies and skillsets to enable us to produce comparable or similar results here. “One of my personal responsibilities is to look out for latest multimedia production technologies and techniques being used by established studios in around the world and work out the comparable and similar solutions for local clients” Ken adds. Moving forward, the key focus is firmly on building on the firm’s success and supporting a wider range of clients, as Infinéte hope to grow its portfolios to serve Top Fortune 500 companies of the world. This will also enable the company to have multiple branches across Asia region.
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Company name: Infinéte Loop Media Contact: Ken Neoh Address: 49-C, Jalan Glasiar, Taman Tasek, 80200 Johor Bahru, Malaysia Email: kenneoh@infineteloop.com Telephone: +6016-2089783 Website: www.infineteloop.com
INFITEC: Infinite Possibilities in 3D Technology
INFITEC: Infinite Possibilities in 3D Technology INFITEC GmbH is a 3D technology company located in Gerstetten, Germany and the winner of Best for 3D Visual Technology - Europe. CEO Helmut Jorke talks us through the secrets behind the firm’s success.
In 1999, INFITEC arose from a research and development project of Daimler AG to overcome the problem of developing fatigue due to long working hours while using 3D glasses. The result of this very successful project was patented as Interference Filter Technology, which created a new standard on the market for 3D visualization systems. During more than a decade of expertise and research, INFITEC held partnership with many companies known for excellence in research and simulation labs around the globe, and received various positive feedbacks on many advantages of our technology. Helmut outlines the firm’s service and product offering in more detail and explains how his firm supports the media industry through its innovative designs and refreshing ideas. “Since inception we have helped media and entertainment companies develop and improve their visitor attractions that accelerate growth and improve top line profitability. Shifts in digital projection technology and restrained credit can make it difficult for companies to amaze visitors and create one of a kind 3D attraction. INFITEC GmbH has
worked with senior management to address these and other challenges in the area of 3D projection technology. At INFITEC, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional performance in the area of 3D projection displays to our customers. Together with our partners, we have managed to challenge the threshold of creativity and 3D viewing experience. Our products portfolio ranges from passive 3D glasses, consulting, to research and development of custom product design.” INFITEC’s product line has always been highly dependent on the projection industry market. Currently, the projection industry uses xenon arc lamps and in the near future, pure laser projectors with either three or even six primary wavelengths. As they offer the highest efficiency and the longest lifetime, the projection industry will be soon focusing on laser projectors.
With pure laser projectors of the 6P type, we have a game changing product in our hand - INFITEC 6P3D glasses. INFITEC’s 6P3D glasses are state of the art which are the most deliberate evolution of our original “INFITEC 3/3 channel separation technology”. They are not only the brightest 3D glasses in the industry but also eco-friendly and cost efficient with unmatched performance and great design.
highlight the fact that INFITEC’s focus will remain on providing clients with the most innovative solutions in order to remain at the forefront of industry developments. “Over the coming years, our focus is to provide performance and design driven products to the upcoming 6P3D projection industry. Our core focus will be on theme parks, cinemas, and large venues.”
Moving forward Helmut is keen to
Company: INFITEC GmbH Name: Helmut Jorke, CEO Email: sales@infitec.net Web Address: www.infitec.net Address: INFITEC GmbH, Karlstrasse 70, 89547 Gerstetten, Germany Telephone: +49 7323 50300 0
Currently INFITEC technology performs great with the current light sources, as their light spectrum is so broad that it can easily be divided into the required multiple bands for INFITEC. This applies for the ultra-high pressure mercury lamps as well as for the xenon arc lamps.
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Krafting Media Excellence
Krafting Media Excellence Kraftwerk Living Technologies is one of the leading companies in the field of professional audio-visual system integration, headquartered in Wels, Austria. It has been awarded the title of Best for Integrated AV Systems Solutions – Europe. We caught up with Jennifer Zika to find out more about the firm and the services it provides. Since 1992 Kraftwerk Living Technologies has executed numerous projects all over the world and has defined the standards for state-ofthe-art system integration. Jennifer discusses the firm’s service offering in greater detail, outlining the range of solutions it provides and how it works to ensure every service it provides meets the individual needs of the customer. “From audio-visual system integration and effects technology for various projects in the entertainment industry and different types of attractions (dark rides, flying theatres and more), Kraftwerk Living Technologies can provide clients with the solutions they need. We are also provider of turnkey 4D theatre solutions, including our Waterplexx 5D, a water-based theatre solution for waterparks. “Overall, we are a globally-acting AV specialist for high-quality media-based attractions, working with the best suppliers and partners to ensure that we are always addressing the customer’s individual requirements and needs. Our values are reflected in this approach, and we are constantly focused on innovation, quality and passion. “By combining and synchronizing high-quality technologies across audio, video, lighting, media control and special effects, we provide individually tailored, stateof-the-art concepts and solutions for various applications. From immersive multimedia attractions
for theme parks and entertainment venues, virtual reality projects for industry and science, to audiovisual equipment for museums, theatres and other event locations – the possibilities of professional audio-visual system integration are almost unlimited. “Our main goal is to ensure our customer’s success; whatever the requirements are, we want to create the best, most innovative and most efficient solution possible. This is possible by investing in research and development, being committed to the highest quality, by continuously improving all of our products and services and working with the best partners and suppliers and by being passionate about what we do – with a team that has passion for technology, creativity and experience.” Having operated in this diverse market for nearly 25 years, Kraftwerk Living Technologies has a strong knowledge of the industry. Jennifer describes the latest trends and how these will impact the company. “The world’s largest theme parks welcome thousands of visitors each day. This is why we are increasingly working on highquality concepts for attractions that allow for high visitor frequency. This factor is becoming more and more important. Another important trend is the combination of motion rides with media, which we believe to become increasingly important. We expect to see more mediabased attractions, such as dark rides and flying theatres, and an even higher quality in the systems
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Kraftwerk Living Technologies’ 5D Castle Theater at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom provided. Also the synergy between rides and media-based technology is extremely interesting, as coasters are already at their limits with regards to speed and force, as it can enhance these feelings. Therefore looking ahead we foresee a greater interest in the adaptation of technologies focused on increasing these emotions for theme parks and attractions.” Moving forward, Jennifer is excited for the future as she outlines the various developments and projects the firm has on the horizon.
“Currently we have several great project orders signed, in the US, Europe and in Asia, which is very exciting for us. Amongst them is the largest order in Kraftwerk Living Technologies’ almost 25-yearhistory. We will continue to focus on large-scale installations in the areas of entertainment, industry and culture, areas, which are likely to continuously grow within the next years. What will be interesting to see is which countries or markets will become increasingly important within the near future and how these developments will affect our company.”
Company: Kraftwerk Living Technologies Name: Jennifer Zika, Corporate Communications Email: marketing@kraftwerk.at Web Address: www.kraftwerk.at Address: Maria-Theresia-Str. 49, A-4600 Wels, Austria Telephone: +43-7242-69269-171
Funding the Future
Funding the Future Medialease is a small, friendly British company dedicated to providing asset funding tailored to the needs of the broadcast and live events industries. We invited Paul Robson to tell us more. For over 10 years, Medialease has been providing unique leasing and asset finance solutions to equipment users and hire companies serving the broadcast media, theatre, digital cinema, A/V installation and live events and concert touring marketplaces. Originally founded to help companies locate financing options for broadcast and post-production equipment, the firm have since evolved alongside the industry and its equipment, keeping abreast of technological advances and market changes in order to ensure that our services and knowledge are always current and relevant. Paul outlines how the firm has grown since inception and how it uses it vast industry expertise to provide clients with the very best financing options which meet their needs. “Here at Medialease we drawn on more than a decades’ worth of specialist knowledge and experience; offering clients the expertise of a large company whilst retaining the personal values of a small one. “Our core service offering revolves around leasing, contract funding and asset finance, ensuring that we are able to meet all of our clients’ needs. We offer four main products and two bespoke solutions: hire purchase, finance lease, off balance sheet rental and operating lease as well as financing of receivables (the financing of a SaSS or the income streams from a contract for services) and finally the re-financing of owned assets to raise cash or working capital.” Offering such a vast array of services means that Medialease is able to offer a one-stop-shop for clients, however what truly sets the
firm apart, according to Paul, is its focus on providing a service which is tailored to meet the individual needs of its clients. “Fundamentally, I believe that the speed of our service and the personal service we provide to every client is a very impressive factor in our business success and this would not be the case without the technology we have invested in to help us. Mobile technology particularly has been key to ensuring that we are responsive and flexible. “As a company we are small and approachable and by marrying up the customer, with one of our 25 partner banks and finance companies we can provide the right solution and advice for any company, no matter the size or geography. We are offering a range of solutions that put the customers’ needs first and this is what makes us truly unique.” Overall, Medialease has grown substantially over the last two years, by 20% each year and a further 15% this past year. As such Paul is confident for an exciting and prosperous future for the firm. “Change in the broadcast equipment this year have been phenomenal, and as such we are set for an invigorating future. The world adoption of 4K / Ultra HD technologies everywhere has allowed many firms, including ours, to benefit from the changes in the technology market. With so little bad debt or arrears we have no issues funding any media equipment and being one of only a handful of specialists in this sector we understand the equipment market. “As nearly every deal is unique one of the most ideal things is that we have specialist knowledge in the
media equipment sector in the ever evolving technology world. This also gives is amazing opportunities to see the equipment first hand in use at a broadcast event or on a world concert tour.
a further 20-25% in 2017 to fund £30m - £35m of equipment in our industry in the UK, and we are looking forward to achieving this and gaining more expertise and knowledge as we do so.”
“Ultimately, our aim is to grow by Company: Medialease Ltd Web Address: www.medialease.com Address: Nene House, Sopwith Way, Daventry NN11 8EA Telephone: 01327872531
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Designing the Future
Designing the Future Munrostudios has over 18 years’ experience delivering large scale international projects for architecture, aviation, motorsport, infrastructure, stadia and brands. We invited Owner Caroline Hopkins to talk us through how the firm deliver excellence across a wide range of services including photorealistic CGI, animations, motion graphics and all forms of verified images for planning applications. CGI & Animation s p e c i a l i s t Munrostudios, built its reputation through client recommendation. The firm works internationally on projects for Atkins, Populous, M&C Saatchi, Versace Home, Damac, BUJ Architects, Jaguar Land Rover, and a long list of architectural and marketing firms. Caroline expresses her pride in the firm’s performance over the past 12 months and outlines how its work with renowned clients has helped it to achieve its current success. “In the past year we have collaborated with heavy weights including Damac, Versace Home and M&C Saatchi on Aykon London One, Nine Elms. Our studio did a brilliant job, delivering an outstanding animation of the internal and external of the development, with impressive photorealism throughout. We enjoy working with clients from early planning applications through to the marketing phase. Our client, BUJ Architects, recently won planning for Portal Way West Residential Tower in London. We delivered all planning images and supporting documentation, through to marketing CGI’s followed by the final animation.’ Operating in such a competitive environment, differentiation is crucial, and Caroline believes her firm is set apart from its competitors by its focus on providing an increasingly wide range of services. “Our USP as an agency covers multiple areas. Firstly, we are a cross specialist studio, delivering CGI, animation and verifiable
projects. We are able to do this due to our talented studio teams and large render farm, which was purpose built to over 728 cores, with 1.45 terabytes of RAM. This capacity means that we can work on a high volume of animation and CGI projects at any one time.
business community. Our teams work hard to ensure that the projects we deliver, effectively present and illustrate future built
environments to an excellent standard, that reflects the brand equity of our clients and their designs.”
“As an agency we are unique. Due to our focus on delivering photorealism by creating images from highly detailed and accurate models, that we work up initially. As opposed to just relying on photoshop alone. The way we work and deliver, allows flexibility when clients need images amended or updated.” Once we have created a model or worked on and updated a model, multiple views can be quickly updated as well. Our clients are able to choose whether they wish to animate their project, and this gives them further flexibility. They are able to do this because most of the CGI elements are modelled, meaning we can stretch the CGI or animation phases as far as needed. This approach also benefits clients who have already modelled projects, in part or in full, themselves. “Our specialised planning team deliver verified photomontage projects for planning applications, including strategic view analysis from both 3D models and on-site work, wireline, full documentation and EIA.” Operating collaboratively Caroline is confident of a bright and prosperous future for the firm, as she concludes. “Ultimately, we are proud to be part of a respected UK CGI
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Company: Munrostudios Name: Caroline Hopkins Email Address: caroline@munrostudios.com Web Address: www.munrostudios.com Address: Munro Studios, Suite 1, Dunedin House, 2 The Mews, Wharf Street, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1NN Telephone: +44 (0)1483 422788 Vimeo: vimeo.com/munrostudioscgi
Soaring to Success
Soaring to Success Skypower Aerial Filming provide professional aerial videography, as well as photography services and hire. The firm have been honoured with the title of Best Aerial Filming Services Company – UK. Neil Willis, Technical Director, Remote UAS Pilot and Camera Operator for the firm talks us through the vast array of services it offers in this dynamic and innovative sector. Established in 2012, Skypower draws on over five years’ experience in the aerial filming market to provide drones of varying sizes and cablecams for filming. The firm’s technology can carry anything from a GoPro sized camera to professional equipment such as a Red Dragon camera. Neil discusses how Skypower, one of the first firms to enter into the market, has marked itself out as a reliable and dedicated service provider.
which is a particular advantage for filming in busy regions such as Central London. As a London based firm we offer the added advantage of local knowledge, and as the capital is a popular filming destination for many studios this allows us a great advantage over many of our competitors.”
“Here at Skypower we work with a variety of clients ranging from companies seeking corporate videos through to major Hollywood studios seeking aerial filming services for feature films such as Final Score (airing later this year, starring Pierce Brosnan and Dave Bautista). Our client list includes industry greats such as the BBC, ITV, Sky and Universal, and the fact that they keep returning to do business with us again is testimony to the level of excellence we provide. We have some of the best Drone Operators and Cameramen in the UK who are able to get the required shot but also fit seamlessly into the rest of the production team and understand a directors wishes, as such clients receive a truly rounded professional service when they work with us.
“When we first started out in the market there were only around 100 other companies offering drone based aerial filming services,” Neil states. “Now there are over 3000.”
“Another factor which sets us apart from our competition is our OSC, Operational Safety Case, which we obtained from the Civil Aviation Authority, allowing us to fly closer than the industry standard. Whilst the law allows drones to fly 50 meters away from people, cars and buildings, our OSC allows us to fly (depending on the conditions) between 10 and 20 meters away,
As an early adaptor of drone technology Skypower also has the added advantage of superior industry knowledge and a strong understanding of the trends that the market is currently experiencing.
During the firm’s time in the industry Neil has noticed many developments, including the increased need for stronger drones which can carry heavier equipment; however, this could soon be reversed, as he explains. “Increasingly we are seeing clients request drones which can carry increasingly heavy cameras. In order to provide our clients with the service they need we have invested in equipment that can carry anything up to a Red Dragon or an Alexa, two of the heaviest cameras on the market.
Operating in such an ever evolving market, Skypower has to adapt in order to survive. Moving forward Neil believes that the main challenge will be to remain at the forefront of industry innovation as technology constantly changes, however he is optimistic that the future will bring even greater success for the firm. This year sees the release of Skypower’s latest offering of VR custom fully stabilized videography. “Technology is constantly being superseded, and as such it can be a challenge to keep at the very cutting edge and offer our
clients the very latest equipment. However, we view every challenge as an opportunity to expand our knowledge and gain new skills and understanding, therefore we will continue to invest in the very latest technology. “Staying on top of the latest regulations is also vital for our success, as we need to make sure that we always have the correct permits. Overall, our aim going forward will be to remain ahead of these developments in order to ensure that we are continually able to provide our clients with the very highest standards of service.”
Company: Skypower Aerial Filming Address: Skypower Ltd, Ground Floor, 2 Woodberry Grove, London. N12 0DR Phone: 0208 166 9712 Website: www.skypower.co.uk Embed TV showreel: vimeo.com/153822287
“However, as camera technology improves it is my belief that smaller cameras will soon be able to offer the same quality and functionally as their larger counterparts; although this change has not yet occurred I believe it could very soon. When this happens we will be able to carry smaller equipment and still offer clients the same high quality footage.”
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Involve Employees & Evolve Your Digital Tranformation
Involve Employees, & Evolve Your Digital Transformation The digital revolution is not about to arrive and hit the workplace – it has arrived, and is here to stay. Businesses must react to this paradigm shift to not only remain competitive, but also to survive.
know they need to do it, but are not sure where to start and how. They are aware that it is a massive There is an undertaking element of that no longer fear of the just means unknown on deploying new the part of technology businesses but that marks that are slow an essential to implement change in a digital the way the transformation company does strategy business. because they Technology and consumer demand have helped propel the catalyst for change, and technology now dominates our personal lives, yet the same level of use and the latest technology is not always available in the workplace. This is ironic because this is the place where it can make the most difference in terms of improving productivity, communications, flexibility and boosting customer service.
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It tends to come with a complete overhaul of management structures, processes and company-wide culture Companies now need to deploy the latest technology to differentiate from the competition, improve customer service and attract and retain skilled employees. However, it is not technology that drives the business forward; it is your employees and the culture that will be responsible for success. Involve and Evolve Far too often technology is forced upon employees and as they haven’t been involved in the process, and it is not used or utilised to its full capacity. We encourage companies to involve their employees in the
decision-making process from the start. If you include them in the initial discussions, the design and the development process, then you are laying the foundations for success. You will speed up digital transformation and investment if employees are involved from the onset. It is advisable to talk in-depth to employees and find out what their pain points are with the current technology, and what technology they think would improve their roles and customer service. After all, they are the ones doing their jobs on a daily basis and customer facing, so they are the best ones to ask. Selecting innovators to champion technology use and evangelise the tools along with the difference it is making to them will help drive the advantages of the solution to the team. Also ensure that Senior Managers are using the technology and become advocates of the solution. Set up pilot user groups to test the technology on a daily basis over a period of time, ask them questions, listen and act upon their feedback. Often when new technology is rolled out there is a lack of ownership and this causes internal politics and disgruntled employees
g Involve Employees & Evolve Your Digital Tranformation
so ensure an owner is appointed to encourage and incentivise the group to use it. Empowering Employees Technology needs to be userfriendly to make roles easier and not harder. If it is complicated then no one will use it and the project will be a failure from the start. It is crucial to empower employees by educating them to feel positive about the new solution and the impact it will make on their lives. Technology rollouts frequently fall short due to lack of training. People are not aware of the capabilities of the solution or how to use them and as a result they do not get used. It is essential that comprehensive training is introduced to maximise user adoption. We would also advise to provide different options for training as everyone is different, so training could consist of: online videos, one-to-one tuition, classroom lessons, user manuals or mentoring. By putting all of this in place you will be creating a culture of participation and engagement. It is this that is at the heart of digital transformation; it is the people and the culture that drive the change and the improvement, not the technology.
Reverse Mentoring On boarding technology to employees can be challenging and it is important to remember that different employees will approach it differently. Whether this is due to the level of technical skills or generational obstacles. The use of unified communications is second nature to Millennials but older employees or Luddites may fear change. Technology is the lifeblood of Millennials and by 2020 they will make up 75% (Forbes 2013) of the global workforce. With their dependency on technology and the fact that they don’t know any different, naturally they expect these tools to be available in the workplace. A total of 59% of graduates confirm that state-ofthe-art technology is important to them when considering a job. And 78% of them say that access to the technology they like to use makes them more effective at work. Companies therefore need to have infrastructures in place that will incorporate their own devices into the network. Unfortunately, many appear to be stuck in of doing things and this generation to
businesses the old way not utilising learn from
them. A recent IBM survey (2014) stated that more than two in five Millennials said they felt their use of technology was not clearly understood and they were held back by out of date and rigid work styles. Digital Culture Embracing the latest technology also means embracing a new culture and accepting the ‘brave new workplace’. Technology and digital transformation challenge management structures, job functions and cultures. Millennials in particular want to work remotely and freelancing is estimated to grow by 50% in the US by 2020 (Intuit). It is paramount then that businesses have the latest technology and appropriate corporate culture to recruit and retain the best talent. Talking and listening to employees requires the knocking down of silos that exist between departments. Communications and an understanding of what everyone does are essential and this requires a flatter corporate
structure resulting in more fluidity within job roles. Companies will create an open, innovative culture where employees can share passions. It is also important for businesses not to be scared of failure so employees are encouraged to innovate and test new ideas using technology and not be scared if it doesn’t work out. This ‘brave new world’ is a challenge for the majority of business leaders and employees can learn from each other on how to use technology, discovering the new ways of working it brings and a new culture. A Connected World It is essential to align technology with business objectives, strategy and operations. Then alongside of this create an open and innovative culture to embrace and hone that knocks down silos and encourages a passionate fluid workforce. As a result, employees will be empowered and united to work together to make the business a success. Jonathan Sharp Britannic Technologies https://www.btlnet.co.uk
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The Top Five Cloud Trends for 2017 Karl Roe, VP Services and Cloud Solutions Nuvias Group, is a first-class negotiator with a warm, perceptive style. He possesses over 20 years proven ability to qualify, create, sell and deliver profitable data centre, ASP, SaaS, IaaS, cloud and outsourced ICT business solutions in SMB and enterprise markets. He was instrumental in founding and developing the UK and MEA Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud marketplaces. A thought leader with a great ability to present and communicate to wide ranging audiences via public speaking, PR and media communications, Karl offers his top predictions for Cloud developments in 2017 here. 1. Un-Clouding We have all witnessed the ‘cloud rush’ of recent years where organisations have been encouraged to move their workloads to the cloud. However, there is a growing recognition among organisations that cloud services are not the be-all and endall – and certainly not always the most cost effective way to deliver all their IT workloads. In several cases, the promised cost savings that customers thought they would receive haven’t materialised – in fact it can be quite the opposite when they first see their bill, after failing to be properly advised on their long-term costs. Many IT service providers have been caught up in the vendor hype surrounding cloud services, and encouraged cloud migration despite the end user often not fully understanding the long-term cost implications. Next year we will see more businesses move workloads out of the cloud and back on-premise, and in the future, we will see a more educated, sensible approach where cloud isn’t the default option for hosting all workloads, which in turn will lead to… 2. Non-Clouding In the future, organisations will become better educated when it comes to making the right decisions regarding which workloads should sit in the cloud, as opposed to
moving everything over wholesale. Instead of jumping on the cloud bandwagon, business leaders will be more concerned about which carriage on the bandwagon they’re going to get on.
next year will see IM take off among businesses. In addition, that interaction can easily then be converged with voice at a click of a button, circling back to the emergence of VoIP.
3. Voice as A Service Becomes Mainstream
5. Everybody API
Voice over IP (VoIP) has become increasingly prevalent in the enterprise, with services like Skype growing in popularity. The end of life of ISDN and PSTN will mean we’ll start seeing true mainstream adoption of VoIP, not just in the enterprise but in SMBs too.
It’s becoming clearer by the day that being good at integrating systems in the old-fashioned way isn’t good enough anymore. True
Telcos like BT are driving more visibility around the fact that they’re serving time on their ISDN products, and they will need to be replaced. VoIP services will start to become the norm, and users will start consuming them as a service. 4. Real Time Interaction Comes of Age Instant Messaging (IM) and realtime interaction will start to replace email. Services like Slack and Microsoft Team are becoming prevalent in the workplace, and employees are increasingly choosing instant messaging over email. Email just doesn’t work for us anymore; having presence and real-time interaction on projects will become the norm. Replacing email as the main form of communication in organisations,
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Name: Annabelle Brown Telephone: 01326 318212 Email: pr@nuvias.com Website: www.nuvias.com
API integration is the new valueadd. Moving forward, any company that wants to add true value to their customer base will have to have API skills and they will have to have some element of development in what they offer. It might not be pure coding, it might be the ability to implement and integrate systems using APIs that delivers that single pane of glass experience.
VIZBOX Enclosures Limited – Positive Projections VIZBOX Enclosures Limited is an award-winning UK-based manufacturer of bespoke environmental projector enclosures. The strapline ‘Now You Can Project Anywhere’ summarises the purpose of the bespoke product; it has already made a welcome entry into the global audiovisual market, where it has been consolidating a presence and a highly interested clientele for the last two years. Customers see the product as ideally conducive to a plug-and-play utility – indeed, the process is so simple that it has also been described as ‘fit-and-forget’
Suzanne Powell is the Marketing Director at VIZBOX. She has been with VIZBOX Enclosures since Autumn 2014, and after having graduated in business with a specialisation in marketing, she considers herself to be ideally placed to promote the niche product offered by VIZBOX. As she describes her role, this becomes very clear. “I work on promoting the brand and product globally, on the internet and through print. Most of our clients seek a bespoke solution, and initially may not know that it actually exists and they tend not to be our ‘known market’. We are however building up our known market with clients who have placed multiple orders. They enjoy dealing with real engineers, and getting superb after-sale customer care.” Suzanne graduated back in the 90’s at Manchester in Business. During this time, her placement at ICI Pharmaceuticals as International Marketing Consultant and her first role post-graduation role with The Murdoch Group, led her on to achieve managerial positions
with Siemens and Premier Farnell. During this foundational time in her career, Suzanne acknowledges that faced a few notable challenges – “during my time at Imago Micro, I had a guy on the phone demanding to speak to a man. I ended up educating him on video file size and compression CODEC’s. He rang the next day to thank me. Thankfully the world is quite different now, two decades on. “My key principal is to lead by example,” she says. “Staff are the most important resource in a company, and we look for the best people and reward them well. I also tend to make fast decisions based on sound knowledge. “Before VIZBOX, I started a successful web marketing company and sold it after almost ten years. Again, I have ended up in international marketing as well as servicing local companies.” According to Suzanne, VIZBOX seemed to be the natural progression from this background in web marketing, as it allowed her to bring all of her marketing skills to bear on
a much wider platform – she was thrust into the limelight of marketing on a global scale. VIZBOX’s approach in innovation is one that builds upon the central role played by technology. “It is crucial in our business development,” Suzanne reflects. “Projection has been the fastest growing sector of the audiovisual (AV) market so it is vital that we know the market insideout. It helps that all the directors have a healthy obsession for technology.”
VIZBOX builds R&D directly into their budget. They attend industry shows and conferences, really getting to know their clients, and the company have developed a strategy that works for them. “We travel, we talk, we do not stand still. “Our workshop is a hive of development activity. The business is successful and this keeps me motivated and positive to continue promoting our niche product, and showing the market that we have something truly special to offer.”
Company: VIZBOX Enclosures Limited Contact: Suzanne Powell Address: Toplands Country Business Park, Mytholmroyd, HX7 5RW Email: suzanne@vizbox.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 1422 230202 Website: www.vizbox.co.uk
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